1 Peter: Christian Submission (Part 2)

This sermon, or parts thereof, may be used with attribution.

Introduction

Once, when I was a young teenager, one of my mates from down the street was visiting on a Saturday.

We were outside with others of my brothers and my dad was there too, along with the family dog.

I can’t remember exactly what we were doing, but we were playing and mucking around.

Then, out of no where I got a whack on my backside.

I got a big fright, and was disoriented for a second.

Then I realized I was in trouble.

“What was that for?” I sheepishly asked my Dad.

“For stirring up the dog” he replied, presumably thinking it was obvious what I’d done.

Now, I’m not all that clear on what we were doing that afternoon, but one thing I remember abundantly clearly - I was not guilty of the crime that I had suffered punishment for.

It was an intensely awful moment for me, not only because I was disciplined was right in front of my friend, but because it was unfair.

It was unjust.

I was not guilty of the crime.

In fact I had nothing to do with the dog at that moment.

Maybe Dad mistook me for one of my brothers. Or perhaps I had done something inadvertently that he misread. But it is seered into my mind, that memory of being innocent while suffering the shame and punishment that I didn’t deserve.

The punishment itself didn’t hurt that much, but the experience is one that I've never forgotten.

Have you ever experienced something like that? You may have experienced something much more serious than my relativity unimportant childhood memory.

Blamed for something you didn’t do?

Suffered while being innocent?

Experienced a great miscarriage of justice?

Been in a bad position that you have no power to change?

This is the kind of thing that Peter addresses in our passage today. God speaks through Peter to people who are stuck in a rough spot, with no power to change their circumstances, who may be unjustly suffering.

Some folks deserve what they get, but sometimes the innocent suffer in this fallen world. I don’t mean “innocent” in the sense that they’ve never sinned, I mean in the sense of suffering for a crime they didn’t commit or for no reason at all.

Sometimes others suffer simply because people in authority abuse their power, whether that power is something that is part of God’s design for society, or whether it be a power structure that is invented by humans.

Some authority systems are given by God, such as for humanity over creation, or civic leaders, or family structures or church leadership - these are all laid out as good and positive things in the Bible. But sometimes we invent authority systems for the social good, and they aren’t all bad - we tell the kids to obey the babysitter for a night, we create managerial positions in companies, we have parking inspectors.

Usually God is not so concerned with what social authority structures exist, as much as He is with what people do with their power. Nevertheless, today is not about a how people should use their power, but how people under that power should respond.

Hows should they respond when they suffer injustice, and punishment they didn’t deserve?

In particular, how should Christian slaves behave towards their masters?

First...

Context, context, context.

What is Roman slavery like?

Today we are looking at a passage that addresses slavery, and in order to understand what is being said, like with every part of the bible - we need to see it in it’s original context.

While God’s word is timeless and unchanging, we are not. We live fleeting lives far removed from the original biblical context, and we need help to make the cognitive jump from our limited experience here to see what God has said for all time and people.

Sure, we have the benefit of an English translation so we can get a very good sense of the words that were written in Greek and Hebrew, but words are written in a historical setting and style that may be foreign to us.

In this case, slavery is foreign to us. In the sense that slavery is not a normal part of our society - that’s not to say it doesn’t exist in some places or in the criminal underworlds, but in the sense that none of us here are slaves, and we don’t have the option of having slaves.

You may be familiar with colonial slavery, most notably when people were kidnapped from Africa and taken to the Americas to be sold as slaves - the ancestors to a large proportion of people who live in the USA today.

But here’s the thing, even if you are familiar with that awful type of slavery, that’s not the slavery of the Roman empire in Peter’s day.

Neither is it the slavery of the Old Testament mentioned in our earlier reading.

Not all slavery is the same - nor is all slavery equal. While the Bible address the circumstances of slaves, and even permits it in some circumstances - the Scriptures never promotes slavery. In the OT, as we saw, God allowed slavery in Israel - which was beneficial to people who had fallen on hard times, and God laid down laws that protected the rights of slaves.

But this passage today in 1 Peter is not about OT slavery, so, lets get in mind a bit of a picture of ancient Roman slavery.

It’s not race based - your ethnicity or skin tone didn’t determine your social status.

Slaves were still considered property - their bodies were at their master’s disposal. They could be physically abused.

Slavery was sometimes a good option for poor people. They didn’t have Centerlink, they didn’t have unions, the didn’t have a fair work ombudsman, they didn’t have industrial relations acts. Almost everybody was poor, especially by our standards, but if you lost your job, or lost a bunch of money in a bad business deal, you could very easily become destitute.

If you wanted steady work, a roof over your head, food to eat, you could be very tempted to sell yourself into slavery. It would be better than the alternative, especially if you could get a kind master. You’re poor anyway, may as well be a poor person with a very long job contract.

Which brings me to that fact that Roman slaves could buy their way out, or serve out a contract period, like ancient Israelite slaves. Roman slavery was not necessarily for life, though life expectancy was short enough that many people never gained freedom.

(Doriani, Daniel M. 1 Peter. Edited by Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani. Reformed Expository Commentary. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2014.)

I’m told that some people even sold themselves into slavery to get ahead in life. If you could ingratiate yourself in a wealthy family and become their business manager as a slave, then then you could make business contacts with others and build up a good reputation. Then once finished your contract you would possibly be able to break out on your own - or if you were really happy were you were, stay as a slave.

But, probably the vast majority of slaves did not have great outlook on life. They were the lowest class of society, and didn’t have things that we take for granted like being able to resign when we get sick of our job, rights to your own body, or limits on what the boss can force you to do.

So roman slavery wasn’t universally bad, but for a lot of people they suffered at the hands of masters who we would say are abusing their authority. They may not have been breaking Roman law, but they were breaking God’s law if they mistreated and exploited those under their providential authority.

It’s into this context that Peter addresses Christian slaves. He’s already addressed all Christians and told them...

The New International Version Chapter 2

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority:

But now he narrows in to slaves and says...

Submit to Earthly Masters. v18-20

How is your submission similar or different to these verses?

So Peter is applying his command to submit to human authorities to a specific part of his audience. This is already an encouragement to the slaves that the great Apostle Peter would think of them, and speak to them first in this application, but he has this special word for them:

1 Peter 2:18 NIV

Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

He’s addresses “household slaves” or “bound domestic servants”. These people are free in Christ, as v16 from last week mentioned, they are slaves to God, but they are in this world literally still slaves.

Surprisingly for us Peter doesn’t tell them to rise up and throw off the shackles of slavery - that’s what we would probably do, and if there was a Hollywood movie about this, the plot would have to involve some slave uprising. But no, while surprising to our modern ears, Peter tells them to submit to these earthly masters.

You may be lucky, and get a considerate master, but lets face it, they’re easy to submit to. Like in the business world, it’s easy to obey a kind boss, who you know looks out for you, it’s much harder to respect and obey a hard overbearing and uncaring boss.

The hard submission is what Peter is going to focus on.

Notice what Peter is not saying?

Not an endorsement institutional slavery as a God-given right.

Not excusing bad masters for abusing their slaves.

Not saying choose to suffer if you have the option.

So what is Peter saying?

If you’re in this position - submit to the authority in service of God.

When providence puts you in submission to someone else, give due respect whether they deserve it or not.

It’s commendable to bear up under unjust suffering just like Jesus did.

Lets read a little more to see how this is fleshed out:

1 Peter 2:19–20 NIV

For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

It’s commendable!

It’s not easy, but it is commendable to bear up under pain.

Peter clarifies, he’s not just talking about any suffering or pain, if you act the fool and get your comeuppance, that’s your own fault and not showing God honor. But, if you’re living as God called you to live, doing good, and you still endure suffering it is commendable.

It shows the that God is worth suffering for. The salvation that we have in Christ is worth holding onto despite the pain. It demonstrates to your master, and fellow slaves, and the spiritual world that your faith is real, and that your salvation in Christ is intensely valuable.

We are not household servants, but we can see how Peter is applying the principle of submitting to earthly authorities in general into this circumstance. We can also see how Peter uses Jesus as the model for how Christians can suffer injustice well.

More on Jesus as the model in a bit, but first, a few application notes:

Revenge is for God to deal out - it’s not our job to rise up and repay.

The New International Version Chapter 32

35 It is mine to avenge; I will repay.

We don’t take up vendettas in the name of God or justice. We leave it to God to deal with. Either...

God will bring them down in this life providentially as the wisdom literature often says,

or God will provide justice on Judgment Day,

Or, God may have already provided justice for them in Jesus - your oppressor could become a Christian in the future, we just don’t know.

If you’re in a bad situation, and God has provided a way out you can take it. Paul told slaves that they could take their freedom if they got the opportunity.

We’re not masochists! We don’t go looking for pain.

Employees have the option of leaving their employer if they are being misused - if you need that job to put food on the table, you may have to suffer until you can find a way out - in that time suffer well. As long as they are an authority in your life, submit out of respect to God. But you don’t have to invite suffering by staying.

If someone is breaking the law, call the cops - as we mentioned last week God has provided civil authorities for our protection! You don’t need to suffer unlawful treatment if God has provided protection through other structures.

That said...

If you’re stuck in a bad situation lets say a difficult contract where someone is not really breaking the law or the contract but they’re just being really awful towards you - bear up, submit to your providential contractual obligations and show them that, like Jesus, you will not retaliate even though it would appear justified.

Maybe, someone makes false claims about you and brings a court case against you that costs tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend - just to prove you’re innocent. You have no way of escaping - either you fight it, or reach some settlement (which, lets face it, may imply some guilt) or you lie and plead guilty to make it all go away. None of those a great options if you’re innocent, but your trapped in a situation where you can bear up under the pain of unjust suffering for the Lord’s sake - showing that you value truth and doing good despite their attack.

When you’re trapped, and someone wields power over you, represent Jesus, follow his example - submit, serve God and love your enemies. Shows the world the surpassing worth of Christ.

Regardless of whether our authorities deserve it or not, serve them with love and respect for their office - whether it be an office that invented by humans or created by God.

Coming back to the passage, lests see how Peter uses Jesus as the model for how Christians can suffer injustice well.

Called to suffer well, like Jesus. v21-25

What is Jesus Example?

Who knew that life as Christian would be so easy and yet so hard? To enter in we must receive the Gift of salvation in faith, repenting of our former ways. But, the road of discipleship is hard! Christians must take up their cross, like they were on their way to execution, and follow in Jesus footsteps.

Peter says that these slaves must bear up under the injustice and endure as their discipleship:

1 Peter 2:21 NIV

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

Last week I mentioned in passing how we get hung up sometimes of what is God’s will for our life, when the Bible clearly lays out several clear indications on what his will is for us.

Here, in a similar fashion, we are told what the calling is on these slaves, it’s pretty safe connection that this is a calling on all believers, because Peter says so a few verses later:

1 Peter 3:9 NIV

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

So heed God’s calling on your life - repay evil with blessing. Bear up under unjust suffering.

Christians are called to follow Christ’s example, and Peter is especially applying that to the circumstances of the slaves, picking out some aspects that may be very relevant to their lives as slaves:

1 Peter 2:22–23 NIV

“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

What is that example they are to follow? Key elements:

Suffered for the sake of others.

Sinless.

Not running off his mouth or being two faced.

Didn’t retaliate.

Trusted that God would sort it out.

This is a high calling! Christ is the ultimate. It’s impossible to reach that perfection in this life, but, we must not worry because while Christ was showing us that pure example, he was also fulfilling the ancient prophecies of Isaiah and securing our salvation!

1 Peter 2:24–25 NIV

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Bore our sins - we need someone to bear our sins, because we aren’t able to bear them ourself and live. The soul that sins shall die. Jesus was sinless, yet he took our sins.

on the cross - executed in our place. Although he could have called down a legion of angels to pour out wrath on those how treated him so poorly, he suffered and dies, bearing up under the pain of unjust suffering to death.

We join ourselves to Jesus by faith - and we are said to have died to our sins, died to our old nature.

Then to show the world be take baptism, where we are symbolically washed of our sins, but also, it is a symbol of our burial and resurrection with Christ - it is though we too have entered the grave in death and risen to new life:  “having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. “ Col 2:12.

His wound were for us. He won salvation, he offers healing for those who would come to him.

We are all straying sheep, affected by sin, deceived by the world - the grass is greener over there! Only to find it’s AstroTurf.

In Christ Jesus: Shepherd and Overseer of your souls (aka Pastor and Bishop)

Come to him in faith! He’s won salvation!

Count the cost - it will be hard to enter, but Christ will heal you!

There may be many proving trials, but we will come home to our Shepherd and Bishop!

What now?

Submit to Earthly Masters

Suffer Well like Jesus